Lately I’ve been worried.
But the reason has nothing to do with the pandemic.
The only reason I can think of is because everything is going so well.
Our family is good. Our health is good. We have enough food and a comfortable bed to fall into at night.
And lately my mind has drifted to what ifs. What if someone gets hurt or sick? What if someone dies? What if someone I love hurts our relationship? And probably many other scenarios.
The thing is, I’m not a worrier. I never have been.
My favorite verses are Philippians 4:6,7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
I’ve always leaned in and taken those words to heart. But lately it seems harder.
I’ve realized though that the devil will try to use even the good things in our life to take our minds off God. He comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. John 10:10
Psalms 112:7 says, “They will have no fear of bad news…”
How nice would that be? How can I have this? How can you have this?
The answer: practicing thanksgiving.
When you start to worry about your kids, thank God for them.
When you start to worry about your spouse, thank God for them.
When you start to worry about death, money, health, relationships, and any other number of things, thank God for what He has given you.
Get in the habit of continually thanking God.
When we are focused on thanking Him for the many blessings we have, for answered prayers, for His mercy and love, our focus is taken from worry to worship.
Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
God knows the devil will try to get our minds to wander to bad things. That’s why He tells us to think about good things.
Of course, this doesn’t mean trials won’t come. But He promises us peace that passes understanding if we come to Him in prayer with THANKSGIVING.
He also promises that He will never leave us. Deuteronomy 31:6
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalms 107:1
